This invention is generally concerned with apparatus for preparing, processing and delivering letters, and more particularly with a modularly constructed, computer controlled system for generating, transmitting and printing formal business letters including letter mail.
A large proportion of the business offices of industrialized nations are equipped with modern word processing apparatus, the use of which has reduced the cost of preparing formal business letters and relieved secretarial personnel of many of the traditionally labor intensive activities inherent in the task of preparing such letters. A continuing need exists however for further reducing the cost of preparation of such letters due to increases in labor costs involved in such activities. In addition it is noted that relatively little progress has been made in the way of reducing labor costs associated with the distribution of such letters after preparation. For the most part, modernization of the distribution process has focused upon rapid delivery, as opposed to cost reduced delivery, of such letters. For example, numerous private carriers and the United States Postal Service have inaugurated rapid but costly delivery systems for distributing time sensitive business letters.
Further, although it may appear that facsimile transmission systems, which have been installed in most of such business offices for the transmission of business letters via telephone lines, have resulted in distribution savings, since many of such facsimile transmissions are followed by delivery of the formal letters, either as a business courtesy or due to it being imperative for legal documentation purposes to provide original letters, savings are not realized.
On the other hand, conventional apparatus, although available for performing major functions that are useful for further reducing the cost of preparing business letters and, in addition, significantly reducing the cost of delivering such letters, have either not been adapted for such use or not been recognized as being useful for such purposes.
In connection with seeking a solution to the problem of high mail distribution costs, the assignee of the present invention has recently introduced a bulk mail processing system for large business mailers. This system permits such mailers to deliver mailpieces which, rather than including a stamp, postage indicia or a permit mail notation, include a serial number and written line of information. The serial number is located in the mailpiece's "stamp" area, whereas the written line of information is associated with the addressee area of the mailpiece. In addition to including the postage cost, the written line includes other relevant information required by the Postal Service, including the serial number of the apparatus which was used for printing the postage cost. Such bulk mailings must be accompanied by a manifest, known in the art as a passport, which reports, for example, the total postage cost, piece count and class or classes of mail of the bulk mailing, the serial number of the postage dispensing apparatus utilized for processing the mailpieces, and other relevant data concerning the bulk mailing.
Apart from the foregoing there are other cost-effective distribution systems available to large bulk mailers that are unavailable to small bulk mailers. For example, permit and pre-sort bulk mailings have been available to large bulk mailers for many years. As with manifest bulk mailings, permit mail must be delivered to the Postal Service during normal business hours for inspection and verification purposes. To that end, an inspection location is provided by the Postal Service, where the mailing costs are calculated and paid before the permit mail is routed to the general mailstream for processing along with mail picked up by the Postal Service at local mailboxes. Similarly, pre-sorted bulk mailings are inspected to verify that the mailpieces have been pre-sorted, and, therefore, entitled to the reduced postage cost permitted for handling pre-sorted mail.
The aforesaid manifest, permit and pre-sort bulk mailings must be delivered to the Postal Service during normal business hours for verification and cannot be delivered to local mailboxes, which are used extensively by small business mailers, for pick-up by the Postal Service. Although such systems are cost-effective for large business mailers who are equipped to handle tens of thousands of letters, small business mailers cannot avail themselves of their benefits due to the smaller volumes of mail involved and unavailability of mail processing apparatus, or both. Thus, there is a need in the business community to provide small business mailers with a bulk mailing systems and apparatus for processing mail which permits them to participate in the manifest, permit and pre-sort bulk mailing programs of the Postal Service. And, preferably such apparatus should allow for the use of local mailbox deliveries, outside of the normal business hours of the Postal Service.
Aside from all of the foregoing it is noted that there has been a long felt need in the business community to avoid using see-through type envelopes for sending advertising materials to prospective customers, due such envelopes being extensively used by the business community for mailing monthly billings. Because of such usage, see-through type envelopes involve such a negative reaction in potential customers to whom advertising materials are directed, that they are as often as not disposed of without being opened, although the enclosed contents of the envelope might have persuaded the recipient to become a customer had the contents been read by the recipient.
Accordingly:
An object of the invention is to provide improvements in apparatus for preparing letters;
Another object is to provide improvements in methods and apparatus for processing letters;
Another object is to provide methods and apparatus for reducing the cost of preparation and delivery of letters, including bulk and letter mail;
Another object is to provide improvements in methods and apparatus for generating, transmitting or printing letters, including bulk and letter mail; and,
Another object is to provide modularly constructed apparatus and systems for preparing, processing, and delivering formal business letters, including bulk and letter mail.